Martha Lane Fox gives backing to UK IT Industry Awards

Martha Lane Fox hopes the UK IT Industry Awards will raise the profile of digital inclusion

The final deadline for entries to the UK IT Industry Awards, held by Computing in association with The Chartered Institute for IT (BCS), is 5pm this Friday, 6 August.

We caught up with UK Digital Champion and head of Race Online 2012 Martha Lane Fox, who is supporting the coveted Digital Inclusion Award.

The Digital Inclusion Award will be awarded to the organisation, in any sector, that has made a significant contribution to the promotion of digital inclusion by giving people the skills or the opportunity to use the internet.

The UK currently has 10 million people who are not connected to the internet and of these four million are also socially excluded.

Fox hopes that the award will raise awareness of the need for digital inclusion and that it will attract more partnership for Race Online from organisations in the private, public and third sectors.

“The way that we’re trying to build Race Online is through partnerships. Anything that can raise the profile of what we’re doing and highlight the best of what’s happening is absolutely vital,” she said.

“We can moan about all the things that aren’t happening but it’s much better to celebrate the things that are happening and replicate the best and stamp out the worst," she said.

"What I’m really hoping is for this award to highlight the projects that are doing well, learn from them and make sure their stories get told more widely.”

Fox added that she hopes the award goes to “something, someone or some project that has gone out of its way to make sure that people in its community are learning how to use the internet and technology in a way that is really beneficial.”

The awards ceremony will be held on Thursday 11 November 2010.